Selective active resonance tuning for multi-mode nonlinear photonic cavities

Area of Science:

• Nonlinear photonics
• Quantum optics
• Resonator engineering

Background:

• Scalable generation of quantum entanglement requires resonant enhancement of nonlinear photonic processes.
• Tuning multiple resonator modes to precise wavelengths necessitates independent control methods.
• Coupled auxiliary resonators offer a method to indirectly tune modes in multi-resonant cavities using a single tuning mechanism.

Purpose of the Study:

• To model and simulate the performance of a coupled-resonator tuning scheme for multi-resonant nonlinear cavities.
• To analyze the tuning bandwidth and tradeoffs associated with using auxiliary resonators for mode tuning.
• To assess the compatibility of this tuning scheme with over-coupled nonlinear resonators.

Main Methods:

• Modeling and simulation of a coupled-resonator tuning scheme.
• Analysis of tuning bandwidth dependence on auxiliary resonator quality factor and inter-cavity coupling.
• Application of the model to a specific triply-resonant ring resonator design.

Main Results:

• Tuning bandwidth for steady-state mode field intensity can exceed the inter-cavity coupling rate.
• Over-coupling a nonlinear resonator mode expands auxiliary resonator tuning bandwidth.
• A tuning bandwidth of ~1.1 nm (136 GHz) was achieved for a telecom band mode with a quality factor of 10^6.

Conclusions:

• The coupled-resonator tuning scheme effectively enables precise mode control in multi-resonant nonlinear cavities.
• This method is compatible with over-coupled resonators, enhancing frequency conversion efficiency.
• The demonstrated tuning range supports applications in quantum networks, including generating indistinguishable photons and accommodating quantum emitters.